1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to construction line reels and, more particularly, to a construction line reel having a small electric motor to facilitate convenient and rapid deployment and reeling of line by construction workers.
2. Description of Related Art
Construction workers, including carpenters, masonry workers, steel workers, and roofers are frequently required to use long lengths of heavy string, referred to hereinafter as construction line, pulled taut between various points in order to establish straight lines, necessary in order to properly align various structural members or elements during construction, both at ground level and at high, dangerous portions of partially completed structures. Construction workers frequently need to dispense construction line in and about construction traffic, and under other adverse circumstances and according to often burdensome construction deadlines, and sudden changes in weather conditions. For example, a worker who must walk or convey himself along a high, narrow beam, or along the top of a partially completed wall section while dispensing construction line may experience considerable difficulty focusing his attention both on keeping his balance and simultaneously dispensing, or winding up the string line. Similarly, intermittent moving of construction equipment and traffic, phase completions, and rain or sleet require rapid deployment and retrieval of construction lines. Moreover, inadvertently discarded, or muddied strings often cause workers to trip and occasionally fall. These conditions, taken together, give rise to the need for a motorized string reel that is compact, easy to store on a construction belt, and fast to operate. The motor and drive shaft should easily fit in the palm of the hand. The motor, drive shaft, and reel, assembled, should easily fit into an ordinary trouser or coat pocket.
At a cost of approximately 4 to 6 dollars for one roll of mason's string, there is a cost and an inconvenience associated with the string getting lost, destroyed, run over, etc., often because it takes too long to roll the string up onto a storage spindle. Moreover, the typical construction spindle on the market today requires the holding of a handle while turning a spool, which takes much time and effort, and causes the wrist and forearm to fatigue.
The common mason's string today is frequently wound on an elongated piece of board or a spool. Several patents are known to be relevant to such devices, including U.S. Pat. No. 4,285,477 issued to Oxendahl et al., which describes a construction line reel in the form of a wing-shaped spool. U.S. Pat. Nos. 650,925, 542,564, 4,285,477, and 109,318 also disclose cord bearing heads rotatably mounted on spindle-like handles.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,202,378, 4,962,901, and 5,190,237 disclose motor-driven fishing and kite reels utilizing a retrofitted flashlight, and screwdriver, respectively. However, the disclosed devices are not uniquely suited to solving those problems associated with construction industry uses relating to convenience, and versatility. For example, none of the disclosed motorized devices among the related art has the simple friction fit between reel and motor. Moreover, the prior art does not fit easily into the pocket of a construction worker due to various spool housings, multiple parts, protrusions and extending edges of the related art devices.
The main problem with the prior art is that those devices were designed for fishing and flying kites, both of which require a spool that is capable of handling significant tension within the string and were therefore designed to withstand significant torsion forces between the spool and the drive shaft. Construction string lines, on the other hand, need not withstand significant torsion between the spool and the handle since the only tension on the string arises from the friction between the string and the ground, together with any internal friction in the reel. The difficulty with construction string, however, is that the winding process is tedious, and even painful to those having arthritis or carpel tunnel syndrome. What has been needed in the construction industry is an electric string winder, or reel, which has nothing more than a friction fit between the drive shaft and the spool, can be easily pulled apart and snapped together, and that effortlessly winds large spools of string. The prior art fishing reel spool housings are designed to be used with very thin line, and typically do not accommodate thick rolls of heavy construction string. Finally, none of the above motorized spools have the combination of switch, switch lock, and latch features.
None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed.